Infinite Realm

"What's wrong?" Cecilia whispered but Sato didn't answer. Instead, he kept his eyes on the monster as if he has spotted something.

"When we start walking, don't make a sound. Move as gently as possible and try not to create any sounds from your footsteps. Stay close to the wall but don't lie on it. The shuffling sound between your clothes and the wall could possibly alert it." Sato spoke up after a while.

He didn't need to give Milo any instructions as the feline knew better. Apart from that, it was a master in tiptoeing and soundless steps so Sato was least worried about it. The problem was Cecilia. Being the daughter of a noble, it was understandable that she didn't know how to minimise the sound of her footsteps to become soundless, after all, her training would mostly focus on aristocratic behaviours as well as the knowledge of the kingdom's political situation and history.

When he saw Cecilia nod, Sato resumed his footsteps as he approached the exit. The duo immediately followed after him but unlike Milo, Cecilia had to be more careful about her steps so she was a tad slower than the other two.

With Sato leading the way, Milo right beside him and Cecilia behind, the trio slowly approached the cavern's exit with bated breath.

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The aura from the beast was constantly overflowing and even with a more than 40 metres gap between them, Sato could still feel it. His instincts screamed at him to run as he was no match for it. Sato could even feel his arms shake as he had to not only focus on his footsteps but also on his body. It was then that he realised that the monster's sensory range was more than 50 metres, extending up to 55 metres.

Glancing behind, Sato noticed that Cecilia was in a similar situation but worse. She was even finding it difficult to move as each step took her more than 3 seconds to make. Sato frowned but couldn't do anything about it, only hoping that she wouldn't make any mistake and alert the monster.

Once there was a 50 metres gap between him and the monster (meaning a 10 metres gap from the edge of the exit), Sato felt the aura intensify. The feeling was suffocating but strangely, Sato felt it was familiar. It was then that he realised that the pressure they felt wasn't just due to the difference in strength between them and the monster, but also another important factor that determined the strength of a monster.

'Life Order.' Sato grimaced.

A difference in strength was already terrible enough but a difference in Life order was worse.

Monsters were generally ranked according to strength based on levels and then ranks. A level 15 monster was stronger than a level 14 monster; this fact was obvious, but when the concept of ranks is considered, differences can arise. Common rank was the weakest as well as the most basic. Using this rank as a reference, the above statement remained true. But when other ranks were considered, the result would be different.

A level 14 Common-ranked monster might be weaker than a level 15 Common-ranked monster but a level 14 Elite-rank wasn't necessarily any weaker. Going one step further, a level 14 Special-Elite or Rare-Elite monster was stronger than a level 15 Common-ranked monster but on par with a level 15 Elite, while a level 14 King-rank monster would literally wipe the floor with the level 15 Common-ranked monster. Even a level 15 Elite would still stand no chance as that was roughly on par with a level 14 Special-Elite.

While the strength classification isn't exactly as stated, it's roughly the same[1].

However, there was a special factor that determined the rank a monster could possibly achieve, or in simpler terms, a factor that determined a monster's potential. This was called Life order.

Life order could be said to be the structural representation of the bloodline of a monster. The ranking of its origin of existence or ancestral descent. To explain with examples, the descendant of a dragon could never be compared to that of a rat as a dragon was a supreme creature at the top of the food chain while a rat was a creature that could be killed with ease. There was no comparison between the two. Of course, as the bloodline is diluted even further, it's quite possible for the far descendants of a dragon to be that weak, but not pure descendants.

This was what Life order represented. It could be called a Food Chain but based on bloodlines. The higher and purer one's bloodline was, the higher its Life Order and the greater its potential. With a better potential, the chances of it being a King rank or above would increase.

Take for instance the Kobold King and the Kobold Chief. The Kobold Chief has a weaker bloodline and so, its Life Order rating was low and its potential was not enough to reach King-rank, getting stuck at the periphery. However, the Kobold King was different as it has achieved King rank at an early age. Not only that, but it also had enough potential to go above that, reaching the esteemed Lord rank and being a BOSS capable of wiping out Riverdale town, so far as its level grew to a sustainable height.

This was due to the purity of its bloodline which in turn raised its Life Order rating and increased its potential.

In the same way, as Sato had felt that dreadful pressure from the Kobold King as well as the Titan [Atrit][2] that had pressed on his blood and soul, he felt the same familiar feeling once more here.

'This is bad.' Sato thought.

Creatures with a higher life order typically had better senses and greater strength than regular monsters. For example, if two level 14 Common-ranked monsters were to battle each other, the one with a higher Life order ranking would usually win as it has more attribute points and better fighting ability than the other one.

Since the monster before them had a high Life order that it could suppress Sato's bloodline of a [Chosen One], then it was most likely not so simple. It was quite possible that its senses would be more apt than most so Sato and the rest had to be twice as careful with their movements as compared to before. However, this was an obvious problem as Cecilia was finding it hard to cope with the pressure.

'Damn it. We are just a few metres away.' Sato couldn't help but curse.

While laying down, the monster had a height of 20 metres so its actual height while standing up should even be more than that. The exit had a height of 25 metres. This meant that there was a chance that the monster wouldn't be able to chase them once they got out. So all they had to do was depart from the cavern and they could be considered safe.

Even though it was just less than 10 metres between the exit and the trio, Cecilia couldn't help but sweat profusely as she approached the exit. The pressure from the monster was ever-increasing the closer they got and she was finding it extremely hard to keep up with Sato. Cecilia was already becoming dizzy as her eyelids were blinking rapidly.

"I, I have to hang on.." Cecilia whispered weakly.